The applications for two other groups, SR1 and Shades of Elegance, were rejected by the board. Those proposals sought to open charters in Canton and Drew, respectively.

An independent evaluator hired by the board to review applications had recommended both schools be denied approval.

The criteria for recommendation is threefold, encompassing each applicant’s operations plan, financial plan and educational programming.

Shades of Elegance partially met the standard for curriculum but fell short of meeting the standards for how the group planned to run the proposed school. Reviewers noted SR1, a proposed STEM-focused charter, partially met all three standards but expressed concerns that “while the mission is clear and compelling, several components of the program — particularly, the curriculum and instructional design, performance standards, and school schedule — are insufficiently developed. In addition, the applicant does not have the capacity to open and operate a school.”

Clarksdale Collegiate is the fifth charter school to be recommended for approval in the state. Three charters, Reimagine Prep, Midtown Public Charter and Smilow Prep, are operating in Jackson. The board approved a fourth, Smilow Collegiate, in 2015 that received an extension to delay its opening by a year.

At the helm of Clarksdale Collegiate is Amanda Johnson, who served as a founding principal of a KIPP charter school in Helena, Arkansas. KIPP, the Knowledge is Power Program that operates a network of 209 public charter schools, is not affiliated with the Clarksdale charter.

Johnson detailed the vision for the school as “unapologetically college prep,” saying that many supporters realize “college is not something you prepare for in high school but something that must be worked on and gained over time.”

The approval of Clarksdale Collegiate was met with opposition during the public comment portion of the meeting.

Rep. Orlando Paden, D-Clarksdale, and Sen. Robert Jackson, D-Marks, told the board they would not support the opening.

Dennis Dupree, the current superintendent of Clarksdale schools, expressed concerns that the establishment of the charter would lead to a loss of funding because state and local funds follow the child.